THE NUMBERS GAME: Arsenal's title hopes can take a giant leap forward... if Giroud can find the net outside the M25 (and here's how other top strikers do on the road)

It’s fair to say Olivier Giroud has surprised everyone this year. Arsenal fans spent all summer crying out for a striker, backed up by all the experts.

The Frenchman, however, has led the line for the league leaders admirably, giving a focal point to the Gunners’ tricky attacking midfield play.

There’s just one problem - he can’t find the net outside London. Premier League titles are built on exerting dominance away from your home turf and eking out tricky one-goal margins when under the cosh and the crowd's against you.

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Stepping up to the mark: But Olivier Giroud has to start netting goals outside of London

On the big stage: But have Arsene Wengers' side really got the mettle away from home?

PREMIER LEAGUE GROUNDS GIROUD HAS NETTED AT

The Emirates

Craven Cottage

Selhurst Park

Upton Park

The Stadium of Light

Of the 18 Premier League goals the Frenchman has netted since his arrival from Montepellier at the beginning of last season, just one - against a hapless Sunderland this season, about to be rid of manager Paolo Di Canio - has come from outside London.

It's
true, Arsenal have mostly coped without their hitman on their travels.
However, in what many would view as the club's only 'big' away match to date, they
suffered defeat at Manchester United, looking a pale imitation of the
side that has run the league ragged so far.

Tricky
ties at Manchester City, Newcastle, Liverpool and Everton await the
Gunners, as well as fixtures closer to home at Tottenham and Chelsea.

Look
at his stats in London and 'up north' - the difference in performance
is marked - although he obviously plays more games in the capital, he
has just three shots on target outside the M25

Giroud in London

Games played: 8

Goals: 6

Total Shots: 25

On Target: 11

Giroud outside London

Games Played: 4

Goals: 1

Total Shots: 8

On Target: 3

Capital kid: Giroud needs to find his feet away from London in Arsenal's tougher away games

The much-maligned Arsenal mentality
will come under scrutiny once again should they begin to falter in
fixtures such as Southampton, Stoke and Aston Villa away, all to come in
the second half of the season.

The
teams they have faced on their travels in the Premier League,
meanwhile, have almost exclusively been in the midst of dire starts to
the season.

Fulham and
Sunderland were the first two victories away from home. Cottagers boss
Martin Jol is still on the brink of the sack, while the north East side
are already on their second manager of the campaign.

Next up, they narrowly bested a Swansea side struggling to match last season's impressive showing, and drew at West Brom.

A routine win at crisis club Palace followed before the anaemic loss at Old Trafford.

ARSENAL AWAY MATCHES - SO FAR

Aug 24 - Fulham (currently 18th) (W) 1-3

Sep 14 - Sunderland (20th) (W) 1-3

Sep 28 - Swansea (10th) (W) 1-2

Oct 06 - West Brom (11th) (D) 1-1

Oct 26 - Crystal Palace (19th) (W) 0-2

Nov 10 - Manchester United (6th) (L) 0-1

AWAY MATCHES - TO COME

Nov 30 - Cardiff (15th)

Dec 14 - Manchester City (4th)

Dec 29 - Newcastle (8th)

Jan 13 - Aston Villa (12th)

Jan 28 - Southampton (5th)

Feb 08 - Liverpool (2nd)

Mar 01 - Stoke (14th)

Mar 15 - Tottenham (9th)

Mar 22 - Chelsea (3rd)

Apr 05 - Everton (7th)

Apr 19 - Hull (13th)

Apr 11 - Norwich (16th)

Felled: Ex-Gunner Robin van Persie (left) ensured it was a trip to Old Trafford to forget for Arsenal

Flicks and tricks: But Arsenal, with Mesut Ozil (left) are more comfortable at home, here against Southampton

Saturday's
trip to Cardiff is a big test. Although not the most difficult side in
the league to face - and hampered by their own malfunctions at board
level - they've proved capable of taking scalps in the bigger matches.

Giroud starting to find form outside of his London comfort zone would go a long way to helping. Apart from the Sunderland strike, his away goals this
season have come at Crystal Palace and Fulham.

However, his supporting cast need to enable him to get into his 'capital' stride.

It's been widely acknowledged that record signing Mesut Ozil has faded since his breathtaking start at the Emirates. He, too, needs to step up in the tougher away matches.

Ozil v United (A)

Passes: 55

Accuracy: 80%

Accuracy in opp. half: 72%

Ozil v Southampton (H)

Passes: 42

Accuracy: 88%

Accuracy in opp. half: 85%

Flying high: But Ozil's performances have been blunted slightly, particularly at Old Trafford

TOP PASSERSTO GIROUD

Ozil 47

Wilshere 41

Ramsey 41

Cazorla 21

Rosicky 19

Compare his stats from Old Trafford, and Arsenal's last Premier League match, an impressive 2-0 win at home to Southampton.

A
pass accuracy in the opposition half of 72 per cent is very low by the
German international's standards - see the marked difference to the 85
per cent in the Southampton match.

Ozil is the man in the Arsenal side who passes to Giroud the most. The £42.5million summer signing has found the striker 47 times this season, with Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere narrowly behind on 41.

Giroud heat map v United

If Ozil's not on form, this naturally means Giroud suffers. Not the most technically gifted forward, his pass accuracy of 56 per cent in United's half was downright poor.

However, he was made to work harder to get the ball, dropping back into where Arsene Wengers' array of playmaking talent should have been creating chances for him.

His heat map from Old Trafford looks like that of a roaming attacking midfielder, having the ball for long periods of time in fairly non-threatening areas.

Compare Arsenal's average position maps of the United and Southampton matches. The side that faced the Saints was a lot more open and balanced. Giroud (12) was supported by a midfield that stretched the width of the pitch.

Arsenal average positions v Man United

Arsenal average positions v Southampton

He had enough space to himself in the attacking area of the pitch. Ozil (11) is surprisingly in a slightly advanced position to the Frenchman, but the whole attacking half of the team is able to adequately cover the pitch to counter Southampton's pressing game.

At Old Trafford, the attacking unit was a lot more bunched together, with four players crowded around Giroud's (obscured) usual space on the pitch.

The space left in midfield allowed United to surge through, while even Southampton's incessant passing didn't make an impression at the Emirates.

League leaders: But the trip to Cardiff will be a test for this Arsenal side, with Jack Wilshere (centre)

Giant-killers? Cardiff's last match saw them hold Arsenal-beating United to a point at home

The Cardiff match will be an intriguing litmus test for this Arsenal side. While not up to the standard of United, a comfortable win - with Giroud scoring - would go a long way into strengthening the Gunners' early title bid.

Anything but a win, and the age-old questions of mentality will rear their ugly head even before the most difficult trips in the league.

Cheer up Olivier, you're not alone - Lewandowski gets homesick too

There's one thing in no doubt. Giroud has been impressive this season, but needs the luxury of another striker (no, Niklas, sit down) waiting in the wings to either play with or carry the burden when things get tough away from home.

But how does Giroud compare with other top strikers across Europe? Here's the facts behind some of the game's top hitmen home and away.

Robin van Persie (Man Utd)

Manchester

Games: 6

Goals: 4

Total Shots: 16

On Target: 7

Away

Games: 4

Goals: 3

Total Shots: 10

On Target: 5

Sergio Aguero (Man City)

Manchester

Games: 6

Goals: 7

Total Shots: 18

On Target: 13

Away

Games: 5

Goals: 3

Total Shots: 14

On Target: 10

Radamel Falcao (Monaco)

Monaco

Games: 7

Goals: 6

Total Shots: 12

On Target: 10

Away

Games: 7

Goals: 3

Total Shots: 21

On Target: 9

Deadly: Monaco's Colombian forward Radamel Falcao has netted six goals from 12 shots in the principality

R. Lewandowski (Dortmund)

Dortmund

Games: 7

Goals: 8

Total Shots: 29

On Target: 18

Away

Games: 6

Goals: 1

Total Shots: 14

On Target: 11

Carlos Tevez (Juventus)

Turin

Games: 7

Goals: 4

Total Shots: 24

On Target: 14

Away

Games: 6

Goals: 3

Total Shots: 11

On Target: 7

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG)

Paris

Games: 6

Goals: 7

Total Shots: 32

On Target: 15

Away

Games: 7

Goals: 2

Total Shots: 21

On Target: 11

Home comforts: Robert Lewandowski has trouble finding the net for Dortmund away